Tampa

I

Introduction

Tampa, city on the west coast of Florida, seat of Hillsborough County. It is the central city of the Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area focused around Tampa Bay. Tampa is a major industrial center and seaport, and since 1980 the city and its surrounding metropolitan region have become one of Florida’s most important hubs of commerce and finance.

Tampa lies at the mouth of the Hillsborough River at the head of Tampa Bay, the largest inlet of the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida Peninsula. Tampa is often associated with Saint Petersburg, which lies across the bay to the southwest. However, Tampa’s focus on industry and business distinguishes it from its sister city, a leading tourist destination.

Tampa’s climate is humid subtropical. Its weather, moderated by the Gulf of Mexico, is characterized by generally pleasant temperatures, although winter freezes occasionally occur. Average high temperature in January is 21°C (70°F) and the average low is 10°C (50°F); the average high in July is 32°C (90°F) and the average low is 24°C (75°F). Tampa annually receives 1,140 mm (45 in) of precipitation; most rain falls from June through September in late afternoon thunderstorms. In fact, the Tampa Bay area experiences more days of thunderstorms each year than any other location in the United States. The frequent thunderstorms gave the city its name: Tampa is derived from a Calusa Native American word meaning “lightning.”

II

People

The population of the city of Tampa has grown in recent years, increasing from 280,015 in 1990 to 303,447 in 2000. In 2006, it was estimated at 332,888.

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However, the four-county metropolitan area centered on the city grew more rapidly, increasing from 2,067,959 in 1990 to 2,697,731 in 2006.

According to the 2000 census, whites made up 64.2 percent of the city of Tampa’s population; blacks 26.1 percent; Asians 2.2 percent; Native Americans 0.4 percent; and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent. People of mixed heritage or not reporting race comprised 7.1 percent of the population. Hispanics, who may be of any race, made up 19.3 percent of Tampa’s population.

III

City Landscape

Tampa is at the heart of the expanding Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area that rings Tampa Bay and spreads northward along the Gulf of Mexico. Although the city of Tampa is relatively modest in land area at 290 sq km (112 sq mi), the metropolitan region encompasses Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties and has a land area of 6,616 sq km (2,555 sq mi). In addition to Tampa, Saint Petersburg, and Clearwater, other prominent municipalities contained in the metropolitan region include Brandon, Brooksville, Dunedin, and Largo.

The city of Tampa itself is elongated in a north-south direction, with the downtown central business district in the middle and the southern segment of the city occupying a peninsula that juts into Tampa Bay. The peninsula divides Tampa Bay into two arms: Old Tampa Bay to the west and Hillsborough Bay to the east. Long-established city neighborhoods include Hyde Park, the city’s original residential section; Davis Islands, a commercial and residential district created on islands in the bay; and Ybor City, still home to Tampa’s once-booming cigar industry and now a national historic landmark district.

IV

Educational and Cultural Institutions

Tampa’s leading universities are the University of South Florida, located just to the north of the city; The University of Tampa, just west of downtown; and Florida Metropolitan University—Tampa College. The city also has a large community college.

Tampa is the cultural center of its region. Among Tampa’s museums are the Tampa Museum of Art, with collections of Greek and Roman antiquities; the Ybor City State Museum, which focuses on the city’s historic cigar industry, concentrated in the colorful community of Ybor City on the northeast edge of downtown; the Museum of Science and Industry; and a children’s museum. A noted landmark is the former Tampa Bay Hotel, a Moorish-style building that now houses the administration of The University of Tampa. The Henry B. Plant Museum in the south wing of the building re-creates the opulence of the original hotel. The glass-domed Florida Aquarium explains the aquatic habitats of the state. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is home to a symphony orchestra as well as opera and ballet companies.

The leading tourist attraction in Tampa is Busch Gardens, a wildlife-based theme park. This facility located in the north end of the city provides rides, live entertainment, and animal exhibits. Popular annual events are the Florida State Fair, a showcase for agriculture and crafts, and the Gasparilla Festival, Tampa’s version of Mardi Gras; both are in February.

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